


forever halloween

by falloutmars



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dual POV, F/M, Fluff, I say accidental, Matchmaking, Meet-Cute, accidental matching costumes, big emphasis on betty & toni and jughead & fangs, from the whole gang, halloween party, lots of friendships, lowkey love at first sight, well with the help of their friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:14:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27235573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falloutmars/pseuds/falloutmars
Summary: “Come on, Cooper,” Toni whines, “you have to go as Harley.”Betty sighs, throwing her feet up onto the couch. “Why? I don’t even want to go to this fucking party.”–––“You excited for the party, Jones?”Jughead glances up from his laptop, shoots his friend a look, and turns back to the screen, immediately pretending to start typing again.–Betty, Jughead, a Halloween party neither wants to attend, and friends on a mission.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Fangs Fogarty/Kevin Keller (background), Veronica Lodge/Toni Topaz (background)
Comments: 73
Kudos: 93
Collections: 8th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *spooky noises* it is time for my halloween fic
> 
> (please note: ––– means a change in pov, but hopefully that'll make sense. also, warnings for alcohol drinking.)
> 
> [cool book cover i made!](https://fallout-mars.tumblr.com/post/633248100626071553/forever-halloween-read-on-ao3-pairing-betty)
> 
> (side note: title from album/song of the same name by the maine)

“Come _on_ , Cooper,” Toni whines, “you _have_ to go as Harley.”

Betty sighs, throwing her feet up onto the couch. “ _Why_? I don’t even want to go to this fucking party.”

Toni pours herself another mug of wine because, in the Cooper-Topaz household, wine glasses are too fancy for Walmart’s own wine. “Harley from Birds of Prey. You have to.” She takes a sip. “Absolutely no arguments.”

Betty sighs again, louder this time, throwing her head back backward. “I don’t want to go to Veronica Lodge’s party just because you want to hook up with her.”

Gasping, she shoves Betty’s legs off of the couch. “How dare you insinuate such a thing?” She clutches her chest in hurt. “I absolutely do _not_ want to hook up with Veronica Lodge.” Then she pauses for dramatic effect. “But I _would_ like to take those pearls off.”

Betty drops her legs on Toni’s lap in retaliation, giggling. “In a sexy or thief sort of way?”

Toni thinks for a moment. “Maybe the pearls stay _on_ during sex.”

“And you say you _don’t_ want to hook up with her, huh?” Betty exclaims, arms flailing. 

They both collapse into a fit of giggles, the half bottle of wine they’ve already drunk between them definitely having gone straight to their heads. They both know that Toni wants to hook up with her friend from college, Veronica Lodge, at her no doubt extravagant Halloween party, but they also both know that Betty categorically does not want to go to said party. 

It’s just… maybe Veronica can be more _persuasive_ than Toni’s letting on. And maybe there’s more than just that as to why she needs to go _and_ drag Betty along. 

Or maybe there isn’t. 

Once their giggles have subsided, Betty reaches forward for her mug. At the same time, Toni sees an opportunity and takes it, pushing Betty’s legs off of her lap. Wobbling, Betty grips onto her arm while her other holds her mug out of reach in an attempt to save the wine. It doesn’t work, though, with Toni lurching forward, wine spilling on the (thankfully) wooden floor, and the pair of them tumbling off the couch.

Naturally, that only results in roaring laughter once they realize they’re both fine. 

When a text interrupts them, they climb up off the floor, and Betty scrambles for Toni’s cell phone, sure it’ll be a text from none other than Veronica Lodge. Toni chases her, still laughing, and manages to snatch it away from Betty just as she’s about to read the message.

“No!” Betty yells, chasing her friend around their small kitchen/living area.

Eventually, Toni collapses onto the couch, leaving no room for Betty, and clutches her phone against her chest. The smile on her face is pretty telling though. 

Betty sighs overdramatically and sits cross-legged on the floor, only narrowly avoiding the puddle of red wine. “Come on, T, tell me.”

“Nope,” she says, popping the ‘p’. 

“Please,” Betty whines, sending her the best puppy dog eyes she can muster. 

Rolling her eyes, Toni taps a few times and shoves the phone towards her. Betty takes it and reads the message, eyes widening with every word. “Oh my god,” she murmurs. “Are you already in there?”

Toni shrugs and then nods. “So you _have_ to come to the party.”

“Why?” she groans. “You don’t need a wing woman anymore.”

She grins. “No, but you do.”

“Nope. No, nope, no way,” Betty insists without hesitation. “I am _not_ interested.”

There’s a glint in Toni’s eye. “Oh but, my dearest Betty, I think you _are_.”

Betty shoots her a dirty look but stays quiet. 

“Which is why,” she continues, “you are coming to the party _and_ you are dressing up as Harley.” 

Betty groans. There is no way she’s winning this one.

–––

“You excited for the party, Jones?”

Jughead glances up from his laptop, shoots his friend a look, and turns back to the screen, immediately pretending to start typing again. 

Fangs wanders around his kitchen until he reaches the refrigerator. He opens it, fumbles around for a few seconds, and bangs it closed with a frustrated sigh. “Where is your beer, man?”

He continues typing aimlessly. “Firstly,” he mutters, “get the fuck out of my refrigerator. And secondly, because I don’t drink.”

Fangs bursts out laughing. “We both know that’s a lie.”

Sighing, Jughead slams down the lid of his laptop and slides it aside. “Okay, maybe it’s a little lie. But I don’t drink a lot because—”

“Yeah, yeah,” he interrupts. “Alcoholic father, I remember.”

Jughead nods. He knows his friend doesn’t mean anything by it, so he manages a little laugh. When Fangs smiles back, the mood lightens between them, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to agree to this party.

Sitting on the couch next to him, Fangs nudges his friend. “So, this party then?”

“No.”

He grins. “Kevin’s going.”

Jughead rolls his eyes. “Even more no.” 

“I promise I won’t ditch you.” _Most likely a lie_. “And you won’t have to drink.”

Pauses for a moment, Jughead thinks about it before wondering why he’s even contemplating it. He hates parties, he hates drunk people, and he hates being ditched by his friend trying to hook up with someone he’s been on and off with for the past year leaving him surrounded by drunk people at a party. 

He shakes his head. “No.”

Fangs leans back on the couch, throwing his feet up onto the coffee table. “There will be food.”

Jughead’s ears prick up. “Really?”

Chuckling, Fangs nods. “Halloween-themed food.”

He hums contemplatively. 

“You know Veronica Lodge, right?” he says, and Jughead nods. “She’s, like, crazy rich, so I bet she’ll have a caterer.” 

At that revelation, Jughead stops pretending he’s _not_ contemplating it. He glances over at Fangs and narrows his eyes. “And what’s in it for me if I come?”

His eyes widen for a moment before he smirks. “Who knows, Jones?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jughead shoots back.

Fangs shrugs. “Nothing.” And then after a moment, “You never know who you may meet.”

“Fangs,” he groans, pulling himself up off the couch and begins pacing, “we’ve spoken about this. I don’t want to meet anyone.” _Also a barefaced lie._ He wouldn’t _mind_ meeting someone if he’s being honest. Just not at a party of who he knows is basically a socialite. 

“Come for the food then.”

This isn’t a fight he’s going to win, Jughead realizes, but he’s still going to try. “Or you could bring the food to me.”

He laughs. “I wanna see Kevin, though.”

“Then phone him!” he exclaims as he rummages through the cupboard in search of a bag of chips. When he finds them, he lets out a noise of pleasure before throwing one bag at Fangs on the couch and practically skipping back to plonk himself next to his friend.

“Someone’s in a good mood all of a sudden,” quips Fangs as he rips open the bag.

Jughead nods as he does the same, shoveling a handful in his mouth. “I have food,” he mumbles through his mouthful.

“Isn’t that a reason to come to the party?”

He swallows. “Uh, I guess it _would_ be?”

Fangs grins. “Great. So you’re coming?”

“Do I have to dress up?”

“Of course,” he says with an eye roll. “And I have the perfect idea for you.”

–––

“Why aren’t you getting ready yet?” Toni exclaims, sloshing her mug of wine as she waltzes around the kitchen. 

Betty jogs in from her bedroom only to find her friend halfway through a bottle of wine, surrounded by bags of tortillas, make-up brushes skewed across the breakfast bar slash dining table slash office. She can’t help but giggle at the sight before glancing at the clock. “Toni, it’s 4 p.m. and you’re drinking alone.”

Toni grins. “It’s party night, baby!”

Visibly cringing, she tries to do a u-turn and head back into her room where she was working on… well, avoiding a situation exactly like this, but Toni catches her, grabbing her arm and spinning them both around. Betty’s sure there’s wine on the floor again. 

“We’ve gotta glam you up!” Toni sing-songs (or _tries_ , it’s more slur-song) and drags her back towards the kitchen.

“Why?” Betty counters.

“ _Because_ , my dear, we have a party to attend.”

She laughs when Toni finally drops her hand to grab another mug out of the cupboard. “We have hours though.”

As she pours Betty a mug of wine, her eyes move to the LED clock on their microwave oven even though Betty _just_ told her the time. Nevertheless, she gasps. “ _Only_ three hours!”

“ _Only_?”

She nods. “We have _hair_ to dye!”

–

Forty minutes later, Betty is sitting half-naked on their bathroom floor with her hair in pigtails, drinking wine without any regrets. The ends of one side of her hair are in pink dye and the other in blue. The skin of her shoulders and back are also covered in the same dye and her previously white bralette is now patches of purple, pink, and blue. 

In other words, she’s a mess.

But with Toni beside her, loud music bellowing through their apartment, and wine flowing through her veins, it’s a great time. 

“You have to wait 30 minutes, Cooper,” Toni tells her as she haphazardly paints red dye onto her own hair.

Betty spins around, whipping the sink with the blue ends of her hair. She rubs at it, only smudging it further. “Oops,” she shrugs.

Toni can’t bring herself to care, wave the red brush towards her. “We’ll sort it tomorrow.” She pauses, a grin covering her face. “If we’re not preoccupied.”

Face reddening at the insinuation, Betty nudges the conversation subject slightly to the left. “Who _are_ you going as, T?”

“Um,” she says, giggling as her eyes move from side to side. “A vampire?”

Betty bursts out laughing. “A vampire who likes to put their victims’ blood in their hair.”

“Yes!” Toni all but yells. “That’s a great backstory.” She nudges Betty with her foot but somehow her whole body ends up moving. That’s a blob of red dye on the floor now. “I knew I was friends with you for a reason!”

Shaking her head, she smiles and takes a long sip of wine. “Not for my wonderful personality or stunning looks,” she teases.

Toni sighs overdramatically. Already spending too much time with Veronica Lodge. “If only you were bi.”

Betty waves her hand dismissively. “I _know_ I’m not your type anyway, Topaz.”

She lets out a giggle as she drops the brush into the bowl of hair dye, scooping up a load with her hand instead. “I don’t have a type!” she exclaims.

“Um, yes you do!” Betty retorts. “Your type is dark hair and pearls!”

Toni shrugs, kicking Betty lightly. “Get us more wine, will ya?”

Betty shakes her head but pulls herself up off of the floor anyway. “ _Water_. And tortillas to soak up the alcohol. We can have more wine later.”

“Spoilsport!”

“Don’t you want a clear mind to remember those pearls later tonight?” Betty says with a smirk.

As Toni’s eyes widen, she sits up straight and salutes, red dye making its way across her forehead. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ll be back in a minute!”

–––

“Are we allowed a beer for the pre-game, Jones?”

Jughead narrows his eyes. “ _Pre-game_? Is this your way of telling me we’re actually going to a high school football game and not a Halloween party?”

Fangs laughs but shakes his head. “It’s what they say these days. Just ask JB!”

“Okay, number one, no it isn’t. And number two, you think JB is cool enough to _know_? She’s a Jones!”

He laughs even harder, whacking Jughead on the back. Apparently, _that_ ’s something they do these days. “She’s cooler than you!”

Jughead nods in defeat, crossing his arms. “I admit defeat, Fangs.”

“So about that beer?”

Jumping up off of the couch, he wanders over to the refrigerator, his friend’s eyes fixed on him. He opens the door and pulls out two bottles. “This alright?”

Fangs’ eyes practically pop out of his head and he skips over to him. “Perfect.”

They pop open the bottles, cheers-ing one another. Jughead takes a sip, letting the liquid run over his tongue. It’s not bad. He doesn’t hate it. 

“So,” Fangs says after a moment, “when are you dyeing your hair?”

Jughead practically chokes on his drink. “ _What_? Dyeing my… hair?”

He nods. “The joker has green hair, man.”

“Why am I going as the joker again?” he mutters, running his fingers over the cold glass. “This wasn’t a part of the deal. I’m coming for the food only, remember?”

“Sure, sure,” Fangs says, obviously ignoring his question. “So green hair?” He jogs to the front door where he’d left a bag, picking it up and shoving it at Jughead. “I picked up one of those spray ones.”

Confusion spreads across his face but he opens the bag anyway, pulling out exactly what Fangs said. A spray-on green hair dye. He groans. “Really?”

He hums. “Yep. And there’s an eyeliner to do the tattoos—”

“Nope,” he interrupts. “No tattoos. I’ll do the hair but no tattoos.” He pulls it out of the bag, staring at it. “Who told you about this anyway?”

Fangs’ face turns a soft shade of red. “Uh, Kevin?” His high-pitched voice only serves to give him away.

“ _Why_?”

He shrugs. “You deserve a good night.”

Jughead eyes his friend suspiciously but decides to leave it.

–

An hour and one slowly drunk beer later, Jughead’s hair is green Fangs’ is a strange meant-to-be blue color. Both of their hands are covered and Fangs is threatening Jughead with an eyeliner pencil. 

“Wait, wait, wait,” he says, throwing his hands up in the air in surrender. When Fangs pauses, he continues. “The joker doesn’t even have tattoos.”

He blinks and then shrugs. “I’ve only seen Suicide Squad.”

“Oh my god,” Jughead mutters under his breath. And louder, “I am not going as _that_ joker.”

Fangs sighs. “So no tattoos?”

Dropping his hands to his side, he shakes his head. “Do you have any red lipstick?”

“As a matter of fact,” he grins, “I do.”

Jughead narrows his eyes. “Should I ask?”

“No, definitely not.” 

–––

“Oh, Betty!” Toni yells once again. “You look _incredible_!” 

Betty, in all of her Harley Quinn glory, can’t help but smile. Dyeing her hair, for something done by two drunk girls, turned out really good. She paired it with a white fitted t-shirt, a pair of super-short denim shorts, and some fishnet tights courtesy of Toni. 

She feels… powerful. And she thinks she looks _good_.

“Thanks,” she says with a grin, eyeing herself in Toni’s full-length mirror.

Behind her, Toni is getting ready herself. Her hair dye job went slightly less well than Betty’s. It’s a bit patchy but it is undoubtedly red. To go with it, she’s wearing a short black dress with a white collar and a studded bracelet, and she’s just about to start her make-up.

“As do you,” Betty adds, spinning around to face her friend.

Leaning over her bed, she has a mirror leaning against the wall, her phone being used as a stand so it doesn’t slide down her covers. She’s rummaging through her make-up bag, eyes lighting up when she pulls out an eyeliner pen. “Ah-ha! We’re so doing winged eyeliner.”

“Like that’ll go well,” Betty points out, sliding next to her on the bed. 

Ever defiant, she flips off the lid and leans towards Betty, her hand fumbling to rest on her face. After a moment of maneuvering and with Betty staying as still as humanly possible (as humanly possible for a borderline drunk person, though she’s definitely sobering up thanks to water and tortilla chips), Toni starts dragging the pen across her eyelid. 

Fifteen minutes later, the pair of them have surprisingly good winged eyeliner. Toni insists on Betty wearing red lipstick to complete the outfit, so she insists on Toni wearing black to complete hers. 

All in all, they’re ready a full ten minutes before they need to leave.

–––

Somehow Fangs is ready before Jughead. His blue-ish hair has been spiked up with more gel than seemingly necessary, and it’s paired with… well, his normal clothes.

As Jughead speeds between the bathroom and the bedroom, he stops in his tracks when he notices Fangs fiddling with his hair. “Who the fuck are you meant to be, man?”

He shrugs. “A vampire, I guess.”

Eyeing him suspiciously, he starts laughing. He can tell his friend isn’t exactly telling him the truth. “Where’s the blood?”

Fangs rolls his eyes, pulling something out of his pocket and throwing it and him. “Go do your lipstick. We’re late.”

“We’re not!” he quips back, catching the lipstick. When Fangs tilts his head, giving him a _look_ , Jughead holds his hands up. “Okay, okay, I’m going.”

In the bathroom, Jughead stares at himself in the mirror. His hair is crusty from the green spray, but it looks alright from afar. It’s the only part of his outfit that makes him look like the joker because he couldn’t find his spare green shirt, orange waistcoat, and red jacket to channel his inner Joaquin Phoenix Joker. On top of that, he refused to cover his face in a pale face make-up thing that Fangs produced from nowhere, instead deciding that wearing the joker’s signature red lips is enough. Even if it does remind him of Cheryl Blossom from high school. Oh god, he hopes she isn’t there. He knows she’s friends with Kevin, though. _Please_ no.

After a moment of contemplating why exactly he agreed to this, then another trying to work out if he can wear his beanie on top of the green hair, and finally another deciding how to put the lipstick on, he eventually decides just to get on with it. He doesn’t _know_ why he agreed to this, he doesn’t think he should wear his beanie for fear of ruining it, and he realizes it doesn’t matter how the lipstick looks because the joker’s is smudged. 

It only takes him a further five minutes before he’s wandering out of the bathroom in all of his glory. 

If _all of his glory_ is a red button-up shirt, suspenders, and dark denim pants. 

“Oh! You look nice, man,” Fangs says with a surprised tone. 

“Cut the crap,” Jughead jokes.

He shakes his head. “For real.”

Jughead decides just to take it. “I guess we better be off.”

–––

“Why did you make me wear heels, T?” Betty groans as she wobbles for what must be the third time just five minutes into their fifteen-minute walk. “And why didn’t we bring jackets?”

Toni laughs, grabbing onto her hand. She’s far more used to wearing heels than Betty is, but she can try and sympathize with her friend. “I mean, you look _hot_. A jacket would’ve ruined the vibe, darling.”

Betty giggles at that, trying to ignore the gust of wind that flies towards them. 

“And anyway,” Toni adds, “who knows who you might end up with tonight to keep you warm?”

She swats her arm but laughs anyway. “ _No_ one,” she emphasizes but they both know she’s lying. She wouldn’t necessarily mind, as such, but she also isn’t exactly actively looking. 

Toni rolls her eyes. “We will see what happens.”

“Please don’t ditch me for Veronica,” Betty all but pleads after a moment of silence.

She’s the one to stumble over this time, luckily catching herself before she falls. Obviously, she starts giggling again. “I can’t promise anything.”

“Toni!”

She shrugs, still laughing to herself. “You might find someone to ditch _me_ for, B.”

“Never,” she promises.

–

The walk to Veronica’s house that should take just fifteen minutes ends up taking almost thirty due to the number of times both of them almost fall over. So when they finally arrive, her house is already full of tipsy people in questionable costumes. Out of the corner of her eye, Betty notices a flash of green. For a moment, she wonders if someone is dressed up as (debatably) the matching character to her costume, but it’s gone before she can decide.

–––

Veronica’s house is exactly as Jughead had expected. Big. Grand. Decorated to within an inch of its life. It looks, for lack of a better word, fucking amazing.

“Wow!” Fangs exclaims as they wander around the side of the house as instructed. He nudges Jughead in the side. “Isn’t it great?”

He nods as his eyes rake over the house. There are more pumpkins than at a pumpkin patch, decorations he’s never seen before, and more faux spiderwebs than he thinks should technically be allowed. “Yeah,” he breathes.

“Let’s go find Kevin.”

Part of Jughead wants to refuse, but today, he decides, he’ll indulge his friend and his questionable dating tactics.

As they walk towards the back of Veronica’s house, out of the corner of his eye, he notices a flicker of what he thinks is pink and blue. Part of him wonders if it’s the Harley Quinn to his Joker, but he’s quick to dismiss that thought. After all, that relationship isn’t one that worked.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *more halloween noises* happy halloween and happy chapter two day!

The party is, as expected, grand. Veronica finds Betty and Toni as soon as they enter the garden, hugging them both even though she barely knows Betty. It’s nice, though, and Veronica looks incredible, so Betty can see why Toni is, well, _interested_.

“It’s lovely to see you again, Betty,” Veronica half announces as she pushes a glass, _real_ glass, of Champagne into her hand. “I _love_ your outfit.”

Betty blushes, tugging at her t-shirt. “Thanks, Veronica. It was all Toni’s idea.

Veronica and Toni share a look Betty can’t decipher before Veronica turns back to her. “I do hope you enjoy yourselves,” she says, quickly patting Toni’s shoulder. “I’ll see you both later.”

Once she’s gone, Betty turns to Toni. “Now what?”

Toni laughs. “Why me?”

Betty sips her drink, pulling a face when the taste covers her tongue before giggling. “Well, because you probably know where Veronica keeps all her best drinks.”

“Fair comment, Cooper.”

She links her arm through Toni’s. “And because this was your idea.”

–

They find wine. More wine. Because they _definitely_ need more wine.

Betty was right, though. Toni does know where Veronica keeps her best alcohol. She mutters some kind of crude joke as Toni pours them both a glass.

“This is the life,” Toni says, holding her glass up to Betty’s. “Cheers, Harley!”

“Cheers!” Betty giggles back. 

Behind them in the corridor, someone calls Toni’s name. When they turn around, Veronica is standing in all of her witchy glory—she’s wearing a purple witch hat that’s practically bigger than she is, and she’s carrying around a broom. 

“What are you two doing in my bedroom?” she says as seriously as she can. 

Toni stifles a giggle as she attempts to shove an entire wine bottle down her top. “Absolutely nothing.”

Betty elbows her friend before turning to grin at Veronica. “Toni, here, was missing you.”

“Was I?”

She nods. “She just wanted to…” she trails off, realizing she’s digging both herself and her friend into a massive hole. Oops.

“She– _I_ just wanted to…” She takes a step towards Veronica but she holds her broom out to stop her from getting any closer. “I wanted to relive our night tonight.”

One hand on her hip, Veronica tilts her head. “Our _night_?”

“Day,” Toni corrects, her hand clutching her wine bottle chest. 

Veronica raises her eyebrows and drops the broom to the floor. “Interesting.”

“Isn’t it?” Betty quips in, even though it’s _definitely_ not her place to get involved. She can’t help herself, even if the sexual tension in the room is making her mildly uncomfortable yet slightly entertained. She’s her friend’s wing woman, after all.

Veronica’s eyes snap to Betty before glancing at Toni, smirking, and landing back on Betty. “B, would you give us a minute?”

Toni turns around. “Please?”

Betty nods. “Yeah, okay. See you later.” 

As she goes to walk past the two girls, champagne glass filled with wine in hand, Veronica taps her on the shoulder and she spins around.

“Kevin–” she bites her lip as she looks in Toni’s direction “–was outside looking for you.”

“Oh yeah,” Toni says, overexaggerating each word, “Kevin would _love_ to see you.”

Betty waves off her friends and heads outside.

–––

As far as parties go, Jughead can’t exactly say he’s having a bad time. Not a _great_ time, but not a bad one either. 

There is a mixture of costumes in everyone around him. Some, he can tell, have made a huge effort to look the part, both as something scary and something recognizable. Rather like Veronica herself, who he’s only seen briefly when they came in. She’s not exactly his type of person, but she seems nicer than he expected if he’s being honest. Her outfit, though, is next level.

Apparently, not everyone got the memo. Some have seemingly made even less effort than Fangs. It’s like they’re just in their normal party outfits and decided it wasn’t actually Halloween. At least Fangs dyed his hair.

To be fair, the whole atmosphere and decoration of the house make up for it. 

There’s just one small problem…

He has yet to come across any food. Let alone Halloween-shaped food. 

Since arriving, he and Fangs have been mingling with a variety of people he has either never met or doesn’t care about (often both). And he hasn’t seen any more flashes of Harley Quinn, so he thinks his brain made that up, but at least Fangs hasn’t ditched him. Yet.

They haven’t actually _seen_ Kevin yet.

Once one group of people disperse around them, Jughead turns to his friend, a pleading look on his face. “Okay, can we _please_ find the food now?”

Fangs gazes past him into the distance, so he nudges his shoulder. “You’re not keeping up your end of the deal, man.”

Still, nothing.

With a sigh, Jughead takes a long sip of his lukewarm beer. He told himself he can indulge tonight, as long as he doesn’t go overboard, so that’s what he’s trying to do. 

Then, Fangs turns to him with a grin on his face. “Look, Jones, there’s Kevin!”

Okay, so maybe Jughead’s having an alright time. But it could be better.

–

Kevin’s nice. Kevin’s friendly. 

Kevin is Jughead’s best friend’s occasional boyfriend. 

Which is _fine_. He likes Kevin. He just really wishes they wouldn’t have started kissing in front of him _and_ this early on in the evening.

The three of them had barely started talking, let alone found the food. At least Fangs hasn’t completely ditched him, he supposes. 

–––

Betty sighs as she walks away from Veronica’s room, the door swiftly closed as soon as she left. 

_Guess I’ll have to find Kevin_ , she thinks to herself, though the party spirit—Halloween pun unintended—is slowly draining away from her. 

She sips her wine as she wanders down the stairs, half contemplating whether or not just to leave. It _would_ be a shame to waste this outfit, though, so she heads outside. 

Kevin is easy enough to find. He’s to the left of the flung-opened doors, attached at the lips to his boyfriend (are they _on_ at the moment?). Betty doesn’t know Fangs very well, but she remembers that Veronica said Kevin invited him, seemingly happy about it, so she decides he must be nice enough.

With them is someone Betty doesn’t recognize, but as soon as she catches his eye, she realizes he’s attempted to dress up as the joker. Her face immediately lights up as she finds herself wandering towards _him_. 

–––

When he notices her, he can’t help but grin. 

Her hair has obviously been recently dyed to make her look like Harley Quinn—so he _wasn’t_ seeing things earlier—and her outfit is nothing but incredible. To be honest, he’s less bothered about the fact that they match and more about how goddamn good she looks.

He’s also managed to completely ignore Kevin and Fangs making out next to him, instead entranced by this woman.

All of a sudden, she’s walking _towards_ him.

“Hey,” she says, stopping next to him.

He has to drag his eyes up to her face. “Hey, Harley,” he says, but he cringes at himself.

She’s just about to reply when Fangs and Kevin part for air long enough for Kevin to start screeching. “Betty! Oh my god!” He wraps his arms around her. “ _Betty_!”

_Betty_ , Jughead thinks. _Interesting._

He watches as the situation in front of her unfolds. Betty—as he now knows _Harley_ as—hugs Kevin back, muttering a hello to her. When she pulls back, her eyes are stuck on Jughead, even as Kevin talks to her. 

Maybe she could be the Harley to his Joker, after all. 

–––

Betty is freaking out.

She’s actually freaking the fuck out.

He’s so... _hot_. 

_Oh my god_. 

Is she dreaming? 

Is this real?

What is happening?

She knows Kevin is talking to her but this, this mysterious man is dressed as the joker—a _bad_ one but she doesn’t really care because he’s unfairly attractive and all she wants to do is stare at him.

Okay, maybe she wants to do more than _just_ stare at him, but that’s beside the point.

Plus, they’re _matching_. To anyone else, it probably looks like they’re dressed in couple’s costumes. And _oh_ does she wish they were.

“...Betty?”

She drags her eyes away from his and over to Kevin, blinking. “Yes, yeah, sorry, Kev.”

He frowns. “I was just telling you about Fangs and–” he trails off, turning his attention to his (probably) boyfriend. 

Betty watches their interaction, purely done through the use of eye contact and facial expressions. So she can’t make it out. But it’s… weird, she decides. As if there’s something she’s missing. 

Fangs is the first to speak after the strange encounter. “It’s good to see you again, Betty,” he says with a smile.

She just nods. She’s only met him once before. 

Kevin launches into his story again, so she zones out, only listening periodically so she can hum every so often. She’s still pondering as to why no one has bothered to introduce this mystery Joker and if he’s feeling as awkward as he looks, fiddling with the bottle of beer he has yet to drink from. Plus, she’s wondering how she can get Kevin and Fangs to start kissing again so she can find more out about him. 

Because _damn_.

–––

Jughead is stuck in a conversation with Fangs, Kevin, and a girl he only just learned is called Betty. That’s fine. He doesn’t mind talking to Fangs, or Kevin for that matter. Hell, he’d like to talk to Betty—his accidental matching other half—some more, preferably without the input of the others. 

There’s just the awkward fact that neither Fangs nor Kevin have introduced him or acknowledged their matching outfits. And he didn’t take it upon himself to introduce himself any further than a _hey_ because, well, why would he when he’s sort-of-maybe freaking out about Harley Quinn being right here in front of him? And not necessarily Harley, he’s freaking out because this Betty is drop-dead gorgeous and now they look like they’ve come as a couple.

(A couple who is fighting because there’s this awkward atmosphere between them due to _them not actually knowing each other_.)

Now, all four of them are chatting about something or nothing—he honestly couldn’t tell you—but he’s feeling too awkward to really engage with them other than the odd _yeah_.

That is until his lovely friend Fangs decides to _drag_ him into the conversation. 

“Jones, here, is a writer, aren’t you?” he says, nudging him. 

Jughead blinks. He hasn’t fully been listening, just watching the animated way Betty speaks and how she bites her bottom lip every time they make eye contact. “What?”

“You’re a writer,” Fangs says matter of factly. 

“Oh.” He manages a nod, eyes fixed on Betty as she smiles.

“What do you write?” she asks, fiddling with the end of the pink pigtail.

He fights the urge to run his hand through his hair. He knows that would result in a green hand, but it’s a nervous habit he picked up during high school. Either that, or his beanie. Which he doesn’t have either. 

So instead he brings his hand up to the back of his neck, undoubtedly still going to get _some_ green on it. He just hopes he doesn’t embarrass himself.

“I, uh, I write…” he trails off, feeling himself blush with every word. When Fangs elbows him in the side, he fakes a cough to hide the embarrassment he hoped wouldn’t come. “Fiction,” he finishes. “I write fiction.” 

Her face lights up. “Really?” 

He nods again. “Crime, to be specific. My– my first book is out, uh, in a couple months.”

She seems to gravitate towards him. “Wow.”

And that’s all it takes. It’s like she’s opened the floodgates to his inner writer, and a spiel of information comes out. He practically spoils the whole of his book, this one and the next, because the way she reacts is one he’s wanted to see for years. When he was this young, anxious, new writer, everyone pushed him back, told him he couldn’t do it. 

The reaction Betty-dressed-as-Harley has given him is enough to spur him on for the rest of time.

In the meantime, Fangs and Kevin have started making out again, this time against the wall a few meters away. So Jughead is left alone with Betty. As alone as one can be at a party. 

–––

It’s possible that Betty may have slightly fallen in love with this guy she doesn’t know the name of yet. 

Not only is he a writer himself, but he’s also heavily inspired by the Baxter Brothers and Nancy Drew novels, the two series she _adored_ growing up. And still does to be honest.

Pair that with the fact that she’s actually read his to-be-published book as part of her job as a book reviewer and she _loved_ it. She has yet to tell him this, though, because it might complicate things, and she doesn’t want to complicate things before they even start. _If_ they start. Plus, she wants to know _him_ outside of the _J. Jones_ author name she remembers. 

He’s just so _mysterious_. 

(She loves it.)

And add in their couple-like costumes. 

_Yeah_. 

The conversation reaches a natural lull, so she takes that opportunity to mention the two things she’s been wanting to ever since she laid eyes on him.

After downing the rest of her wine (how has it lasted this long and _where_ is Toni with more when you need her?) for courage, she turns to him and says, “Hey, so, I just realized I don’t know your name.” _Smooth, Betty, real fucking smooth_.

He chuckles lightly and holds out the hand that isn’t gripping a beer bottle. “I’m Jughead.”

_Jughead Jones_. Not what she was expecting, but she likes it. She likes it a lot.

She takes his hand, trying to ignore any and every thought she’s having about it, about _him_ , right now, and smiles. “Betty. But you already know that.”

Smiling back, he nods and drops her hand. She feels the loss perhaps more than she should, but then he’s talking again and that distracts her in all the right ways.

“I guess I should mention–” he gestures between them and smirks “–the outfits.”

She’s half surprised she didn’t just melt on the spot, but it gives her an opportunity to look him up and down. God, just everything about his outfit—regardless of whether or not he makes a good Joker—is just… _fuck_ yes. And the smudged red lipstick… she finds herself wishing she could be the reason for it.

“An interesting coincidence,” she says, mimicking his smirk.

He hums in agreement, taking a step towards her. She thinks something is going to happen, she thinks this can progress, but then she hears someone calling her name. 

–––

Jughead is about to lean in. He’s not even sure what he’s doing. He’s not one to kiss strangers, but goddammit, he wants to kiss Betty. 

There’s just _something_ about her. Maybe it’s the beer he’s been drinking that’s clouding his view, or maybe it’s the costumes. Or maybe it’s her. But he’s about to lean in when someone interrupts them, calling Betty’s name.

He pulls away, albeit reluctantly, and turns to see who it is.

It’s someone he doesn’t recognize. A girl with bright red hair, grinning as she skips over to them.

“Hey, Betty,” she says. “Who’s your friend here?” There’s a glint in her when she says it, like she already _knows_.

Betty glances between him and who he assumes is her friend. “Uh, this is–”

“Jughead,” he interrupts with a polite smile.

The other girl smirks. “And I’m Toni.”

He wracks his brain trying to decide if he knows her, but nothing comes up. Toni. Nope, nothing. So he just says, “Nice to meet you, Toni.”

In response, she raises her eyebrows and stares at him as if she’s studying him. He’s surprised to say that he’s _intimidated_ by her, red hair and all. 

“Can you give us a minute?” she says after a moment of silence. 

He glances over at Betty and back at Toni before nodding and excusing himself. “Guess I’ll find the food, then.”

The last thing he hears as he walks away is a giggle from Toni followed by, “There _isn’t_ any food.’

–––

To say Betty is pissed off at Toni for interrupting their moment, if it can be called that, is an understatement. She loves her friend, but _really_? After all this time she’s been begging Betty to try and _find someone_. Just as she thought she might’ve done in Mr. Jughead Jones AKA the Joker.

Okay, so maybe that thought is premature, but who knows what _could’ve_ happened.

Could’ve. If it weren’t for the very rude interruption. 

Plus, Toni’s always telling her to put herself out there more, to try something new, to live a little. And that’s exactly what she was doing! Why couldn’t Toni see that? Eyes too clouded with her lust for Veronica Lodge, no doubt.

“What the _fuck_ , T?” she groans, dragging her slightly away from the main party and away from Kevin and Fangs, who have now just noticed her existence.

“Toni!” Fangs exclaims with a huge grin as he bolts towards her, arms wide open. They meet in the middle in a short hug and an exchange of pleasantries before Betty can process what’s going on. 

“How do you two know each other?” she presses, ignoring Kevin’s smug smirk.

Toni and Fangs exchange looks before she turns to Betty and shrugs. “We go way back.”

It’s an explanation she has no choice but to accept because, before she knows it, Toni is the one dragging her away from their friends and around the corner. 

“What’s going on?” Betty pushes again. She wants to get this over and done with so she can hopefully find Jughead again. By the food, he’d said. If there is any food. She hasn’t seen any yet, even after their little adventure on the hunt for more wine. 

Toni ignores the question. “I saw you met Mr. Joker, then.”

She nods. “Jughead, yeah.” She has to bite her lip to stop herself from vocalizing how pissed off she is, although her anger is _probably_ misplaced. Nothing was going to happen between them. 

(Definitely not.)

“He’s… nice.”

Betty lets herself laugh. 

Her friend clutches her chest and gasps. “What?”

“You trying to pretend you find a man attractive is _ridiculous_ ,” she giggles. “I know you’ve only got eyes for Veronica.”

Toni blushes then runs her fingers through her hair. “I’m not going to deny anything, but, hey, at least I got you to admit you find him attractive.”

Betty pauses, but she can’t hide the smile on her lips, so she sighs. “Are we really playing this game?”

“Liquid courage,” she says as she pulls a different wine bottle from her top and pours Betty a glass. “Courtesy of Veronica Lodge in more ways than one.”

Betty scrunches her face up. “That’s enough information right there.”

Toni laughs. “I expect more than that from you later.”

–––

Everything goes wrong for Jughead. Sometimes he thinks it’s just a fact of life. Nothing will ever go right. Whether that be in the form of his high school girlfriend cheating on him or his mother abandoning him. Both left him with trust issues, and a number of other unfortunate events that have happened to him have left him realizing his luck will never change.

Today, at a Halloween party he _technically_ wasn’t even invited to—only by proxy—his bad luck comes in the form of no food.

Well, it could be worse. Fangs would call him overdramatic. _Would_. Fangs isn’t here. Fangs ditched him for his boyfriend. (He said he _wouldn’t_. Ugh.)

The other matter is a woman that goes by the name of Betty or, as he called her, Harley. The other half to his otherwise awful costume. He guesses he was right in thinking that _isn’t_ a pairing that works, but he had to be hopeful. Hopeful that the prettiest girl at the party (and perhaps _outside_ of the party) was looking and talking to him. 

He should’ve known better.

(If Fangs was here, and if he did call Jughead overdramatic, he’d be right.)

So now, he’s left Betty, he’s left Fangs, and he’s looking for food. Specifically miniature Halloween-shaped food. _That_ is what he was promised. But if he’s going to take Toni’s word for it, although he could’ve misheard (that’s what he’s telling himself anyway), this food does not exist. 

He wanders around Veronica’s house. The vast majority of the party is taking place outside in her excessively huge backyard, but the kitchen is the place of drinks. He’s noticed a cauldron filled with questionable liquid and a pumpkin filled with what looks like orange juice, but he’s been to enough (not a lot, but enough) parties in his time to realize it probably isn’t. 

No food though. No food in the kitchen.

_Surely that’s where the food would be_ , he thinks but continues wandering anyway. 

It seems like the rest of the house is mostly out of bounds, other than the bathroom, so he heads _back_ to the kitchen in hunt of a second beer, feeling greatly defeated and downhearted. 

–––

Betty is searching for Jughead. She _needs_ to find him. This party, she didn’t even want to come, and the outfit. This was _Toni_. This was her idea, all of it. And Fangs… Toni and Fangs know each other. Veronica and Toni and Fangs. Hell, even Kevin. 

All of the pieces are falling together.

None of this is a coincidence. None of it.

It’s _him_. She needs to find him _now_.

She weaves her way through the crowds of nameless people dressed in only mediocre outfits, but she doesn’t care about them. None of them are Jughead, none of them have green hair and red lipstick. 

She makes her way inside, past the bathroom line, through the corridor, towards the kitchen. He must be there.

–––

The kitchen is, thankfully, empty. Thankfully but surprisingly so. He wanders in, trying to remember where Fangs picked up their beers from before, but his mind comes up blank. 

He doesn’t get much of a chance to look because he hears footsteps behind him.

“Jughead!” a voice says.

He spins around, eyes widening when he sees who it is.

–––

She’s just about to turn the corner into the kitchen when someone calls her name. Part of her hopes it’s Jughead, but she’s already fully aware of who the voice belongs to even before she turns around.

“Hey, Kev.”

“What’s going on, B?” he asks.

She shrugs, trying not to let the disappointment she feels seep onto her face. “Just looking for Jughead.”

A flicker of a smile comes across Kevin’s face. 

“Did–” she starts, but he interrupts her.

“You like him?”

There’s a small smile on her lips. “Kev, you know he’s a writer?” Kevin nods. “I’ve read his first book.” 

The look of shock on his face is a picture. “This wasn’t part of the plan,” he stage-whispers.

“I knew it!” Betty laughs. Her fucking friends. Sneaky shits. 

Kevin waves her off. “Go get him, B.” She does.

–––

“Veronica.”

She waltzes into the room. “You could look more pleased to see me.”

He forces out a smile. “I _am_.”

She shrugs him off. “Whatever. Now, I’m here to talk to you about Betty.” “ _Betty_?”

With a grin, she pours a ladle of the orange squash-looking liquid into a glass. “Yep. You know, the hot girl dressed as Harley Quinn.”

“I know who she is, Veronica.”

She takes a sip. “Great! Now–”

“No,” he cuts her off. “She’s not–”

Rolling her eyes, she tuts. “You don’t know what I’m going to say.”

He stays silent, folding his arms and leaning against the kitchen cupboards. 

“Now then. If I weren’t already preoccupied with my job as an amazing fashion designer, I’d like to think I’d make a fabulous matchmaker. Cupid, if you will.”

Frowning, he says, “That’s not a job,” but she ignores him.

“So the Joker and Harley Quinn...” She grins to herself, dusting off her hands. 

“There’s a problem with that,” he points out.

“And what’s that?”

“They don’t work as a couple.”

Veronica just shrugs. “There’s always an exception.”

–––

Betty is right in thinking Jughead would be in the kitchen. Betty is wrong in thinking—or hoping—he’d be alone.

She’s going over in her head what she’s doing to say. _I need to tell you something. Our matching costumes are a sign, right? And your book. Which I’ve read, by the way. For my job. And I loved it. Now you’re here in an outfit that matches mine with that god-awful green hair and somehow you still look good. I’m not one to believe in signs from the universe but this is one, right? Even if our friends_ have _intervened and this isn’t truly a sign._

But when she walks into the room, it’s a female voice that yells her name, snapping her out of her haze.

“ _Veronica_!” Her eyes move around the room, landing on a second person. “Jughead!”

There’s a moment of silence before Jughead speaks. “Did you, uh, did you hear any of that?”

Folding her arms across her chest, she shakes her head. 

Both Veronica and Jughead breathe a sigh of relief. “Oh thank _god_ ,” Veronica says, wiping her forehead as if she’d just done a marathon. She practically skips out of the room, patting Betty on the shoulder as she goes, only turning back to whisper, “Good luck, you two!”

Betty lets her arms fall down and she wanders over to stand next to Jughead. “What was that all about?” she asks, though she’s not entirely sure she wants to know the answer.

He surprises her when he lets out a breathy laugh. “Turns out our friends were in on–” he gestures between them “–these outfits.”

She nods. “I worked out as much.”

“I didn’t want to come,” he says. “But Fangs wanted me to, and he sorted this outfit out, promised me food, and I, uh, I caved.”

She can’t help but giggle, her eyes moving to his face. “I did wonder why Toni was so adamant on Harley.”

His eyes meet hers. “You look amazing, by the way.”

“So do you. Despite the green hair.”

His hand instinctively flies up to it as if he forgot. He pushes a fallen strand into position, dropping his hand and glancing at it. “I look marginally better without it, I promise.”

She grins. “That’s a line if I’ve ever heard one.”

He shrugs, but the glint in his eye suggests otherwise. 

“A good one,” she adds.

That seems to be all the confirmation he needs. The hand that isn’t now covered in green comes up to cup her face, and he leans in. She nods slightly when he hesitates, her hand moving to grip onto his arm, and his lips are on hers. It’s gentle at first, but she doesn’t want him to stop. His lips are soft, his thumb caresses her face, and nothing else matters. 

There might not be any fireworks, and he might taste of beer, but something within her stirs. It’s as if pieces of the universe are shifting together.

That is until a collection of cheering makes them jump away from one another.

When Betty lets her eyes move to the doorway, she sees Veronica high-fiving Fangs, and Kevin hugging Toni, who is wiping her eyes. 

“We did it, guys!” Veronica shrieks, jumping up and down like a child. 

“Yes!” scream Kevin and Toni while Fangs claps excitedly. 

Betty glances at Jughead briefly before she turns back to their friends, finding it difficult to keep a smile off of her face. “How long has this been going on?”

They all exchange looks until Toni answers. “Too fucking long!” she says, and the others nod in agreement. 

“Now you got what you want,” Jughead pipes in, “can you _please_ leave us to it?”

Toni shoots Betty a smirk before she herds everyone out of the room, leaving them alone again.

“They’re _insufferable_ ,” he says with a groan.

She wants to agree. “I guess we should thank them, really.”

He doesn’t reply with words, instead leaning in to kiss her again, with his hand immediately finding the end of one of her pigtails. 

What interrupts them this time isn’t their friends. It’s his growling stomach. 

She pulls back with a giggle. “You know what my favorite part of Halloween is?” she asks, and he shakes his head. “The candy.”

He presses a chaste kiss against her lips. “A woman after my own heart.”

“Let’s go.”

.

.

.

_Four months later…_

“I can’t believe you’d already read my book back then,” Jughead says, shaking his head in disbelief. The smile plastered across his face suggests that he’s not as upset as he may sound. 

They’re in Betty’s apartment—with Toni having _left them to it_ , as she likes to put it—as they get ready for his book launch party. Well, they’re meant to be getting ready, but with a few hours to spare and _alone_ , they decided to make the most of it. Oh, and make food. Which is what they’re doing right now.

“I didn’t know how to tell you! I’d already written the review and everything!” she laughs as she flips over a pancake. 

He wraps his arms around her from behind, pressing an open-mouthed kiss onto her neck. “I’m so glad you liked it. And I’m glad it’s a five-star review.”

She slides the final cooked pancake onto the stack, putting the pan down, and spins around. She snakes her arms around his waist and buries her face in his chest, muttering something. 

Poking her in the side, he rests his chin on her shoulder. “What was that?”

She pulls her head up and grins. “I _loved_ it.”

He leans down to kiss her, mumbling, “I love _you_ ,” before their lips meet.

“I love you, too,” she says when they part. “Now let’s eat.”

He lets her go, picking up the plate of pancakes and a bottle of syrup. “A woman after my own heart.”

“You knew from day one, didn’t you?”

“Oh yeah.”

_~fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eee so what did you all think? it was a fun fic to write so i hope you enjoyed it. if you did, please leave me a comment – it'd make my day. i appreciate anyone who reads my work and leaves kudos, so thank you :')
> 
> have a fun and safe halloween/saturday/normal day <3
> 
> find me on [tumblr](https://fallout-mars.tumblr.com/) if you so desire

**Author's Note:**

> *CHAPTER TWO COMING SATURDAY*
> 
> thank y'all for reading this chapter! see you on saturday for more!
> 
> if you so desire, please leave me your thoughts in the comments. i love reading what you think <3
> 
> find me on [tumblr](https://fallout-mars.tumblr.com/)!


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